


Fancy Seeing You Here

by Duck_Life



Series: Femslash February 2019 [4]
Category: New Mutants, X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Dating, Dinner, F/F, Friendship, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 09:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17937407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: Xi'an and Dani's date turns even more interesting when they spot two people they didn't think were a couple out at the same restaurant.





	Fancy Seeing You Here

It’s not like they’re doing anything  _ wrong _ . Actually, that’s kind of the whole point. Xi’an picked a restaurant well-known for not making a fuss about girls on dates with girls and boys on dates with boys. She did  _ research _ , even, interrogated Kitty and Rachel just to be absolutely sure. And she made the reservations. 

Xi’an and Dani have absolutely every right to be here.

For once, they aren’t fighting for their lives on an alien planet or struggling to prove to the world that people like them have a right to exist in peace. For once, they get to just be two girls having dinner. 

“You look beautiful,” Dani says, reaching across the table to hold Xi’an’s hand. The simple act itself feels like a Statement, but she refuses to back down or pull her hand away. Goddamn. They’ve earned this. 

“I got Amara’s help curling my hair,” Xi’an says, ducking her head self-consciously. But then she looks back up, meets Dani’s eyes. She’s blushing. “I-I mean, you look beautiful too.” 

Dani smiles and fights the urge to hide their clasped hands under the tablecloth as the waiter approaches them. “Good evening,” he says, and rattles off the specials as he sets down a basket of free bread. 

Xi’an orders a Diet Coke and Dani panics and asks for the same, even though she doesn’t like carbonated drinks. “Right away, ladies,” the waiter says, sweeping off toward the kitchen to get their drinks. Oh well. Dani can always just give her Diet Coke to Xi’an. 

“I’m really glad we were able to get away,” Xi’an admits. Dani, who has stuffed an entire piece of bread in her mouth, just nods. “It’s not that I don’t adore our friends, you know I do. It’s just…  _ mon dieu _ , between all the training and the battles and the bickering, I lose track of where Karma ends and Shan begins. You know what I mean?”

Dani swallows, forcefully, so she can actually say words. “Yeah,” she says. “I know exactly what you mean. It means a lot to me, being team leader—”

“Co-leader,” Xi’an corrects, eyes sparkling.

“Co-leader, whatever,” Dani says, tossing a roll at her. “Sam doesn’t count. He’s just tall.”

“You’re both tall.”

“That’s why we’re in charge,” Dani confirms. “ _ Anyway _ , being co-leader matters a lot to me but… it’s not all I am. It’s nice to remember that.” 

“You are  _ so _ much more,” Xi’an agrees. The sincerity, the  _ depth _ , in her voice actually sends a shiver down the back of Dani’s neck. It’s crazy, to think that someone is looking at her like she put the moon and the stars in the sky, like she’s the most important woman in the universe. Crazier still that the person looking at her like that is  _ Xi’an Coy Manh _ , the sweetest, smartest, prettiest girl Dani’s ever been lucky enough to meet. 

“I just want to say—” Dani starts, but she cuts herself off when she sees the look on Xi’an’s face. Her eyes are blown wide and her mouth has dropped open. She looks… not like she’s seen a spider, but maybe like she’s just seen a huge hawk land right in front of her. She seems absolutely astonished, just not in a bad way. “ _ What _ ?”

“Okay okay okay, don’t look now,” Xi’an says, dropping her voice and leaning conspiratorially over the table, “but Stevie and Storm are sitting over there.”

“Steve  _ Hunter _ ? Like, our Stevie?” Dani says, also dropping the register of her voice. “With  _ Storm _ ? Oh they’re probably just having a… friend thing.”

Xi’an’s mouth presses into a thin, amused line and she shakes her head. “I… don’t think so.” 

“Well, what are they doing?”

“I mean, they’re just… you can  _ tell _ .”

“I  _ can’t _ tell because you told me not to look,” Dani scowls. 

“Well—”

“I’m looking,” Dani decides.

“Just be subtle,” Xi’an says. 

“I’m the queen of subtlety,” Dani swears, and then she whips around in her seat so fast that her braids swing around her head like a pair of nunchucks. “Oh my  _ God _ ,” she whisper-yells, eyes widening when she gets a good look at the sight across the restaurant.

Stevie and Ororo are sitting at a table, gazing sappily into each other’s eyes, sharing what looks like spinach and artichoke heart dip (the most romantic of all dips). 

“Are they together?” Dani asks, turning back around to question Xi’an. “Is this like a first date or… have they been doing this the whole time, right under our noses? How long has this been a thing?”

“You know as much as I do.” 

“I want to know more,” Dani grumbles. 

Xi’an leans back in her seat and thinks about it for a moment. Then, she narrows her eyes at their waiter where he’s standing across the restaurant. A moment later, the man straightens up and walks toward Stevie and Storm. 

“What are they doing?” Dani says, realizing that Xi’an’s getting a closer look at their teachers through the eyes of the water. “Are you talking to them? What are they saying?”

Xi’an makes an irritated low humming noise, an attempt to remind Dani that she can’t pilot the waiter and be present at the same time. Across the restaurant, Stevie and Storm say something to “the waiter.” 

He starts walking away from Stevie and Storm’s table, but Xi’an’s eyes still look glazed-over as she possesses him. “What’re you…? You can jump out now,” Dani reminds her.

The waiter disappears into the kitchen and returns with a fresh basket of bread. He brings it to Dani and Xi’an, sets it down and then turns to go help another table. He makes it a couple of steps and stops, shakes his head like he’s recovering from a dizzy spell, and then shrugs and gets back to work. 

Xi’an reaches for a roll while Dani watches her with heart-eyes. “You’re amazing, you know that?” 

“It’s just so hard to get his attention,” Xi’an points out, taking a bite of warm bread. “So, I asked Stevie and Ororo if they were here celebrating anything, and they said, ‘Just a night away from the kids.’”

“So it’s definitely a date,” Dani says, buzzing with surprise and excitement. Obviously their teachers and X-Men leaders are  _ people _ , with their own lives and relationships. It’s just one thing to  _ know _ that and another thing to actually see it in action.

“Well, I don’t know,” Xi’an says. “Because they  _ are  _ getting away from the kids, the kids being… us. Their students. Also Kitty.” 

“But that’s such a… you know, a  _ couple _ thing to say,” Dani points out. “It makes them sound like parents.”

“Technically,  _ I _ am ‘just getting away from the kids,’” Xi’an points out. “But that doesn’t make you and me parents.” 

“But we  _ are _ on a date,” Dani reminds her. “Henceforth, ergo, Storm and Stevie are totally getting it on.” 

Xi’an looks like she’s about to say something but then her eyes widen. Dani, evidently, doesn’t notice.

“What do you think that’s like? Do you think they dance together? Oh, man, do you think Storm is really bossy? In bed, I mean?” 

“Dani—”

“And Stevie is so  _ flexible _ , I mean, you’ve seen her,” Dani points out. “I mean, it’s gross to think about your teachers having sex, obviously, but  _ damn _ , those two are probably having really spectacular sex.”

“You’re correct,” Ororo’s lilting voice surprises her from over her shoulder.

Dani screeches and jumps about a foot in the air. “Ororo!”

“Hello Dani, Xi’an,” Stevie says, waving to the two of them. She and Ororo look delighted while Dani grapples with the desire to sink into the floor. “Looks like we all have the same taste in date night spots.”

“Looks like,” Xi’an says, trying as hard as she can to keep her composure. “We, um. We were just surprised to see the two of you. Pleasantly surprised, I mean.” She blanches. “Not, er, not in any kind of… inappropriate way, I mean. I just—”

“Oh, relax,” Stevie laughs, twining an arm around Ororo’s shoulders. “We were surprised to see you two here, too. Thought we’d pop over and say hi before our food comes.” 

“Well. Hi,” Dani says, trying and failing to come across as cool. Her face is still flushed at the embarrassment of being caught snooping and speculating. 

“Hi,” Ororo says back. “We’ll head back over now. You two enjoy your… date?”

“Date,” Xi’an confirms happily. Ororo beams, and Stevie shoots them two thumbs up before the two older women head back to their table across the room. 

Dani reaches across the table to entwine her hand with Xi’an’s. “We’ll probably have to find a place to go on dates where we won’t bump into our teachers.”

“We could always just go to the cinema and… sit in the back row,” Xi’an says, waggling her eyebrows in a way that makes Dani laugh. 

“But then I wouldn’t be able to look at you,” she whines. “And you’re so pretty.”

“Stop,” Xi’an giggles— actually  _ giggles _ — and balls up her napkin and throws it across the table at Dani. 

“Stop what? Stop telling the truth?” Dani persists, unable to hide her grin. Her two favorite pastimes are complimenting Xi’an and teasing Xi’an, and getting to do both at once is a win-win. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Xi’an says. “And you’re a very beautiful beholder.” 

“ _ You _ stop.” Xi’an succeeded in making Dani blush. 

Neither of them notices Stevie and Ororo watching them with amusement. 


End file.
